Tuesday, November 15, 2005

LGBT student group at Mercer University disbands after complaint from Georgia Baptist Convention; Ties between University and Convention cut

My blog has moved!!! Please visit my new blog for all the newest news, events, opinions and more!!!
You will be automatically re-directed in three seconds. Click the link to go to the new blog now. Use the search function on the new blog to find any story you are looking for on here.

UPDATE FROM THE WASHINGTON BLADE Ga. Baptist panel votes to sever ties with Mercer University Move comes after National Coming Out Day controversy MACON, Ga. | Nov 15, 8:20 AM UPDATED: Nov 15, 2:30 PM The executive committee of the Georgia Baptist Convention voted to sever its ties with Mercer University on Monday, the Macon Telegraph reported Tuesday. Former U.S. Attorney General Griffin Bell, a Mercer trustee, said he suspected the GBC was upset over a National Coming Out Day event at the school sponsored by the Mercer Triangle Symposium, a support group for gay students, according to the Telegraph. As a result of the controversy, the gay student group held its final meeting on Monday. The head of the GBC complained the group conflicted with the university's Christian roots. ------------------------------------------------- Portion below originally posted at 11:57 am Nov. 15 According to an article published by the Washington Blade, the LGBT student gorup of Mercer University has disbanded. The Mercer Triangle Symposium, recognized by the University in 2002, held its final meeting with about 50 faculty, staff and students showing up to support LGBT students. The gorup disbanded after the head of the Georgia Baptist Convention complained about the group. He said, according to the article, that "the group conflicted with the university's Christian roots." According to the article:
GBC executive director J. Robert White complained about the symposium last month after learning about it in a campus newspaper, saying he received calls from concerned parents. Mercer is a Baptist-affiliated college of 7,000 students that receives about $2.4 million a year from the Georgia Baptist Convention, which opened its annual meeting Monday in Columbus.
====== Thank God (literally) that I go to a public university!!! The website of Mercer Triangle Symposium is still up, even though they have disbanded. Check it out and see what good they were doing until they were stopped by the radical, anti-gay right: http://develop.mercer.edu/mts/

2 Comments:

Nice blog.

First, I more than likely am with you on most gay rights issues. I support gay marriage, etc..

But homosexuality and the Church is a much more complicated issue especially in the Baptist tradition.

It's just a big more complicated than "anti-gay right"....The GBC does not condone homosexuality. Thus, they shouldn't have to fund Mercer if Mercer is out of step with their theological beliefs.

It's their money, their decision.

I think its unfortunate, but it needed to be done. Mercer will be better off without having to put up with the GBC.

Theologically, homosexuality is a very gray and controversial issue among conservative Baptists (GBC) and even moderate Baptists (the Mercer type).

Politically, I can support equal rights for gays, etc..but theologically is another story. There are good religious people who support gays but don't affirm their lifestyle based on their sincere (not radical) theology.
If the GBC was just going to yank their money... why did they have to make the LGBT student group disband.. because we all know that the GBC is the only reason why they did disband.

If they were going to pull their money (which you are right, they have every right to do) then they should have just done it.

I'm sorry... theologically, politically, whatever... in my opinion, if you are against (notice word "against") homosexuality then you are anti-gay.
posted by Blogger MHC at 11/15/2005 11:14:00 PM